Question about stands...

[Knoxhunter]

How many of you guys use blinds on your tree stands? I know they are basically essential in hiding a ladder stand, But I've never used one. I have a climbing stand. Just curious how many people try to use anything. I've seen posted than some people use burlap and wonder if anyone notices any difference one way or the other. With all the leaves down and not much cover now, seems using one might be the way to go... may add that to my list of things to get for next year... Please... comments? suggestions?

 

[BSK]

I can promise you that you can get away with FAR more movement behind burlap than without. I'm "busted" by deer far more often on one of our 16' one-person ladder stands without burlap than in one of our much more obvious 12' two-person stands with burlap.

 

[Mike Belt]

OK I'll point this out again...Guillie suit blanket over the burlap. Granted the burlap will conceal most movement but sometimes you can still see movement through it, Not only does that e3xtra layer of the guillie suit eliminate that it really blends the stand into the surroundings. You can buy just the thread and tie it on around the stand. It comes in different colors so that you can really match it to the surroundings.

 

[BSK]

For a couple of stands, that's probably a great idea Mike. Although, after what we had to pay for enough burlap to cover 24 stands (250 foot long roll of burlap 3-feet wide), I sure would hate to have to buy anything else for each stand!

 

[Mike Belt]

On a side note, they suggest that once you get to your hunting area to drag it around on the ground and it will pick up debris on the ground matching your hunting area. Works like a charm. One morning I looked like a giant cockaburr(sp?) and on another hunt and I looked like a briar patch. Everything sticks to it.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

I put blind material around mine.i even staple some small limbs to it for added camoflauge

 

[CAW]

All of my stands are 20+, including my ladders. I use no burlap or ghillie suits and the deer never bust me unless they smell me.

By they way, in fear of sounding like a commercial - Dicks has a really good ladder called the Altitude XL. It is 24 feet to the platform and uses a truss system for stability. Best ladder stand I have ever used and only $199.00.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/produ ... d=22814376

 

[Nhill]

Just sit still

 

[Knoxhunter]

I appreciate all the input, and advice. I think I may need to invest in something more next year.

 

[deerhunter10]

i don't use burlap unless its out of our double man stands. and we hunt kids out of those and that's the main reason I have them on them. like caw said 99 percent of the time I don't get busted unless im smelt. but I would say it helps a lot with kids.

 

[hunt4646]

I use burlap around tripod stand 12 ft high at EDGE of woods, not hidden by trees. Deer, coyotes, cattle walk right past the stand without ever noticing me. I also try not to have any motion. I put up dark brown burlap in October and the animals became accustomed to the stand. The only disadvantage that I have encountered is wet or frozen burlap after a wet night.

 

[mfisher]

I've never tried this either, is the method to wrap the seated area and leave the ladder exposed?

 

[huvrman]

I use an old brown sheet.

 

[skillet]

I found some mossy oak tree stand fleece on sale a coup of years ago and bought some. I then asked my wife to sew clasp on it. I had it long enough so that I could use it as a "skirt" as well as a blanket on cold mornings in my climber. Great dual purpose.

 

[BSK]

I've never tried this either, is the method to wrap the seated area and leave the ladder exposed?

Correct. Looks like this:

 

[mfisher]

Thanks for the pic BSK. Did you paint some vertical stripes there to break it up a bit?

 

[BSK]

Thanks for the pic BSK. Did you paint some vertical stripes there to break it up a bit?

Yup. Just simply gray and black spray paint from a can. We painted paired vertical stripes of black and gray to look a little like tree bark and to break up the solid color of the raw burlap (we bought rolls of raw burlap in bulk).

If we had fewer stands, we probably would have used something commercial. But with a bunch of stands, we went cheap.

 

[Knoxhunter]

That stand looks good with those vertical stripes. Excellent idea.

 

[Poleaxe]

I buy the Walmart blind material and run it (summit example : from where the cable goes into the stand all the way around the rail to the other side) around it and place one zip tie in the middle and when I'm packing it out I roll it up and use the 2 tiny bungees that are used to secure the corners I use to place around it after its rolled up.

 

[Buckbuster03]

For more permanent stands(ladders, or even lok-ons) I would say yes. From my experience Deer will, in a way, get used to permanent stands being there and with some sort of cover around them you can stay hidden a lot better behind it.

In a climber I would'nt bother with it, Just makes it heavier and more likely to catch on unwanted limbs and stuff going in. If you are getting spotted I would guess you either aren't climbing high enough or you are moving too much or at the wrong time. Also try picking trees with some sort of background cover(a tree tucked into a cedar or pine).

Deer tend to see silhouettes more than colors or objects, so anything to break up the outline of your body and stand helps.

 

[Winchester]

When hunting low to the ground it really helps, get 25' and you don't really need it!

 

[Scioto]

I've seen treestand blind material on Bass Pro and Cabelas for around $40 and camo burlap (12' x 54") at Richard's for around $15. Seems obvious which way to go to outfit a few ladder stands but I've also seen guys put both on their stands ( burlap and leafy blind material). Seems camo burlap would work just as well.

Going to get a Big Game shooting rail for one of my single person stands next year and put a skirt around that.

 

[BSK]

I've seen treestand blind material on Bass Pro and Cabelas for around $40 and camo burlap (12' x 54") at Richard's for around $15.

And by buying raw burlap in bulk, and camo painting it ourselves, we brought the cost down to around $5 per stand.

 

[Scioto]

BSK, where did you get bulk burlap?

 

[BSK]

BSK, where did you get bulk burlap?

Off the internet. I'll have to ask my brother-in-law where he got it.

 

[plinker22]

I like the black/gray stripes. Very nice BSK.